New Beginnings: Townsend City Council and Blount Partnership
Proposed State legislation SB0965 and HB0980 have been withdrawn as the Townsend City Council and the Blount Partnership have an agreement that seeks to balance the complex interests of all parties.
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"HB0980 'Taken Off Notice'"
Representative Stinnett had HB0980 Taken Off Notice in the State & Local Government Committee on April 2, 2025.
In the Tennessee legislature, "taken off notice" means a bill's progress has been halted in committee or one house before being brought before the other house, essentially removing it from consideration for the time being.
This means the sponsor has decided to halt the bill's progress, typically because they believe it lacks sufficient support or needs further work.
Taking a bill off notice effectively stops the bill from progressing through the legislative process.
Bills can be put back on notice at the sponsor's request, allowing the process to resume later.
Representative Stinnett took this action because an agreement has been reached between the Townsend City Council and the Blount Partnership.
Senator Hatcher is expected to take similar action with the Senate version of the bill SB0965.
Thank You, Townsend City Council
Thank you to our Mayor and Commissioners for framing a mutually beneficial proposal that carefully balances a complex set of competing interests!
Passage of this bill would have been a disaster for Townsend and would have removed our right to govern what happens in the middle of our community.
It took courage and leadership to get us through this. It will take significant effort from both sides to rebuild relationships and the trust required to go beyond simply living by the letter of an agreement and having a strong partnership.
We are proud of our Townsend City Council and confident they will do all they can to achieve that.
Townsend is not a place of monetary wealth. Its wealth lies in physical beauty, close community, and shared appreciation for a place where the pace of life is a beat slower and more in tune with nature's cycle.
Blount County sees Townsend as a tourism business opportunity. The idyllic mountain scenery is an 'attraction' that will draw more visitors and should be converted into monetary wealth.
The worst part is that they dangle a disingenuous promise of 'more money for you, Townsend', but what they fail to explain is that its a proposition to kill the goose that lays the golden egg all for short-term gain.
Thank You, Townsend Citizens
It was critical that the citizens of Townsend stepped forward and ensured their collective voice was heard. We are proud that so many did so in many ways, including registering your support with Save the Peaceful Side.
We may not always agree on everything, but that is okay. We are friends and neighbors, and above all, we demonstrated that we all agree that Townsend's fate should be left in our hands. Thank you for standing up!